Just saw the What Hi-Fi review of the AWOL Vision Aetherion Max, and it sounds like a serious contender if you're in the market for a UST. They gave it five stars and called it their new favorite, which is high praise from a site that's tested a lot of these things. The headline says "futuristic" but the real story seems to be that the picture quality is finally where it needs to be for a mainstream price.
The specs are interesting. They claim 3300 lumens of brightness, which is solid, and a triple laser lighting system behind DLP optics. What really caught my eye is that it supports all four HDR standards including Dolby Vision and HDR10+, which is still pretty rare on projectors. No word on native contrast ratio or how the black levels hold up in practice, but the review says blacks are convincing even compared to other 3000-nit or brighter units. That's a bold statement.
The price is 3199 at Amazon right now, down from 3499 launch. For a UST with built-in Dolby Vision support, three HDMI ports with VRR and 240Hz at 1080p, that seems competitive. The built-in speakers apparently have more bass than usual but can strain under pressure, so you'd still want a separate sound system for serious use.
I'm curious though - anyone here actually seen one in person? The review says the picture is natural and nuanced, but I'd want to see how it handles motion and if the triple laser system introduces any speckle or rainbow artifacts. What's the general consensus on AWOL's build quality and reliability long-term?
The specs are interesting. They claim 3300 lumens of brightness, which is solid, and a triple laser lighting system behind DLP optics. What really caught my eye is that it supports all four HDR standards including Dolby Vision and HDR10+, which is still pretty rare on projectors. No word on native contrast ratio or how the black levels hold up in practice, but the review says blacks are convincing even compared to other 3000-nit or brighter units. That's a bold statement.
The price is 3199 at Amazon right now, down from 3499 launch. For a UST with built-in Dolby Vision support, three HDMI ports with VRR and 240Hz at 1080p, that seems competitive. The built-in speakers apparently have more bass than usual but can strain under pressure, so you'd still want a separate sound system for serious use.
I'm curious though - anyone here actually seen one in person? The review says the picture is natural and nuanced, but I'd want to see how it handles motion and if the triple laser system introduces any speckle or rainbow artifacts. What's the general consensus on AWOL's build quality and reliability long-term?